Introductory Article (March '09 Issue of Student Voice)

This is the first article I wrote for the Voice in March. I'll make a pdf version of this issue available at some point.

Introductions, Delusions and, err, Fascism...

Welcome to the music section of the (newly-staffed) Student Voice, new blood and new horizons herein! I’ll start this section off with a bit of an introduction, and most probably a directionless rant.
So, a new year (well, it has been for a while now) and plenty of new music to come, some decent and some (probably mostly) less decent! On my part I’ll do you a favour – or, at least, myself a favour – and leave out the shit, though with all intentions remaining unbiased in terms of genre. Having said that, it might be difficult to include much fresh guitar-pop (owing to the mountain of landfill-‘indie’ music piling up in the charts this day and age) and new r&b (pretty much all corporate, unimaginative manufactured soulless waste, say no more).
So, now I’ve already proved myself a hypocrite, I might as well admit my musical, err, irregularities. I love the music that I love, and I hate the music that I hate, and I’ve got no qualms about getting that across. Having said that, I won’t waste any time slagging off (any more) music in print, I can do that in my own time! I don’t understand the point of being destructive in music journalism; it should be about making music accessible. I like the idea of appreciating and spreading the word of music, but without the spineless analysis and the ego-driven criticism! Nevertheless, I have a pretty selective view on what music is worth spreading.
So basically I’m a bit of a fascist dictator when it comes to music (although hopefully you’ll find that I’m a decent enough one!) Thankfully, if there’s a place democracy and committee don’t work, it’s in music – there’s a reason bands ultimately fall apart – and especially in journalism and music selection. I don’t think there’s any point in trying to please everyone in that sense; unselective and all-encompassing kiss-arses like Zane Lowe don’t do anything for me – it’s the John Peels and Colin Murrays that pioneer(ed) great music because their drive and their unique passions carry it forward!
Anyway, before I end up sounding too much like I think I’m on radio 1 (as seems to be the case) the point of this article has been, in my role as music editor, to hopefully persuade someone to shut me up by writing something themselves! While I was exaggerating my musical rigidity (I’m not going to limit the content of the next year to just alternative music and electronica) anyone who feels like I’m not representing a massively important aspect of music should step forward. So let’s open up the floor – I welcome people to come challenge my dictatorship with their fresh views, fresh approaches and opposing (or complimentary) tastes!

Oh look, he won't shut up - Introducing this blog

Hey there! Yes, he's done it..

I've lowered myself to the level of the preacher, the narcissist with delusions of grandeur.

Now, I'll try and keep this blog as, err, un-blog-like as possible. The purpose of it is just to be a Run-Off (now you understand the title) of my articles from the BHASVIC Student Voice's (our student paper) Music Section which I currently edit, so it'll do several things:
(Oh dear, not bullet points)

• I'll make available all of my previous articles in the Voice, just to serve as a portfolio and for easier access to my releases of musical arrogance
• I'll post anything that I don't deem worthy of the Voice
• I'll open up a platform for feedback, so you all have the power to directly shut me up
• Provide much easier links to the music I'm writing about, so you can listen as you read - or more importantly, actually listen (I don't really expect readers of the paper to go home and Google anything I've read about unless they love me a bit too much, which would be nice)

Now, if this works out at all, then it might, err, evolve into something separate from the student paper, at which point I'll have no excuses and the glow of my computer will cause me to grow quasi-journalistic hair all over and sprout critical fangs and claws - yes, I will transform into a more arrogant, more self-important blogging werewolf...